Read through all reading response blogs for Station Eleven, Parts 4-6, choose a favorite post, and explain your rationale for choosing it. Then share the post/excerpt/rationale by “commenting” here on this post. Don’t forget to link to the post you are citing (you can now hyperlink comments rather than just copying/pasting the URL: give it a shot!).

Comments should be made no later than Wednesday, 10/18, and the one with the most votes will earn the coveted “People’s Choice” honor! As always, I’m looking forward to seeing what you choose, and why. Happy reading 🙂

If I had no choice but to choose a blog besides my own (which is such a pity!!!), the runner-up in second place would be Calvin Ly. In his post, some of the characters’ loneliness and longing of the past go hand-in-hand with my blog about being invisible. Kirsten, Jeevan, and Arthur realize, in parts 4-6, that the tangible things that once belonged to them are now out of their reach in the post-apocalyptic world. Therefore, those belongings are invisible. They’re out of sight, but not out of mind.

“There is a sense of security attached to the objects that people have in our lives, these things reminding us that certain things in life are constant, and it is the withdrawal that shows the painful reminder of what once was. In the interview with Kirsten and Diallo, Kristin points out that “…it seem[s] like the people who struggle the most with it are the people who remember the old world clearly […] The more you remember the more you’ve lost.”(Mandel.195) Slowly, we begin to realize that these characters miss more than the objects, it’s about feeling attached to those objects that they don’t want to ever forget.”

The reason why I pick this quote because on page (306), when Charlie and Kirsten were talking and Charlie said “I’ve been thinking about the nursery” then on page (307) explained that a “few years ago,” how kirsten and Charlie went into a abandon house and the went up to this nursery room and kirsten was looking for her. She found Charlie “staring at a porcelain tea set sized for dolls.” Even though later on Charlie said that it was a “strange moment” for her I believe that it was also a flashback to her of maybe her own childhood. She didn’t say that, but i feel that something small like a tea set that had no dust on it can make someone get lost in their thoughts, it might because it brought back a memory that was long ago lost.

The blog post that I decided to choose is Kainat‘s. I believe that it goes well with the blog post that I made, with how we both talk about loss throughout the novel in parts 4~6. Much like how Arthur was in the novel, I believe that people tend to grow more distant as time goes on as most people tend to focus on progress and those around us, but also as time goes on we also become less appreciative of the things that we have. The things that we have now to most probably feel as if they have always been there and that it always will be, but time will always be a limiting factor and it will run out eventually.

The blog I’ve decided to nominate for people’s choice is Hamilton’s blog. He literally summed up everything I was trying to say but better. The little things are the things we miss in life when they’re gone. The ones who have a fond memory of the old world time to time reminisces and think back on the things they lost, or miss, or can’t even remember in Kirsten case. For example, when Jeevan is standing in his brother Frank apartment, he’s looking out the window thinking about the last time he had a cappuccino and if that moment would be his last. Kirsten trying her best to remember how she felt on an airplane that one time she went to New York for an audition, August mentioning Star Wars and laptops, these are all small things that before the pandemic, no one thought it should be valued in a great way and now that they’re all gone they miss it and Hamilton touched on that topic nicely along with other topics such as The Traveling Symphony, and Clark in an interview with Dahlia.

The blog I picked is Stevens’s blog. Showed that Kirsten forget her memories of her past because they were too painful. The whole incident with Arthur dying in front of Kirsten traumatized her and so she have forgotten majority of what happened pre-apocalypse. People need a sense of who they were before and even though majority of the population is gone, this shouldn’t mean to block out everything that has happen. What they’re facing is not a dream, but reality. But should she forget everything that happened before the apocalypse?

I haven’t been able to do these comments in a while because of work! I will start to prioritize comments now as well!

I liked Kainat’s blog; I agreed with the idea that the feeling of loss becomes more prevalent with the characters if they remembered the world as it was before the Georgian Flu pandemic. Kainat focused on a quote from Kirsten’s interview: “doesn’t it seem like the people who struggle most with it are people who remember the old world clearly? “(195). This was a very important quote that relates to my own blog, in which I describe how several characters deal with the loss of what they have known or experienced in the old world. In Kirsten’s case, her feeling of loss was expressed in her newfound appreciation of material things like Q-tips and electricity, while Jeevan’s loss was more focused on the death of his brother Frank, and his memories of their childhood experiences.

I agreed with Stevens’ blog. He makes a good point about Kirsten possibly not remembering much of the pre-apocalypse because of traumatizing events such as Arthur dying in front of her. I agree that memories shouldn’t be forgotten, whether good or bad and that Kirsten previous experiences before the collapse definitely helped her become stronger and progress. If she had retained some memories pre-collapse, she may have some more information about the world post-collapse.

I chose Sheri’s blog. I agree with her completely, I also have the same thought about the dog’s names being “Luli”. I have a feeling Kirsten is very close to discovering this connection
sheri stated: “It was strange, she kept thinking, that the prophet’s dog had the same name as the dog in her comic books…” (120) The name of the dog is Luli. As of yet the story hasn’t stated the deeper significance as to why the prophet’s dog has this name, but there is a connection and it is clear that the name of the prophet’s dog is confusing to Kirsten. There is a great chance this connection will deepen the next time Kirsten runs into the prophet.

“…..visibility versus invisibility. It’s a matter of being present or absent. Either you’re in attendance or you’re not. There’s also the idea of being physically present, yet your presence is not felt, acknowledged, or made to be significant/relevant”

Nickolas is on to something here…..

1) We have members of the Symphony who are physically absent (Dieter, Sayid, Sidney the Clarinet)

2) We have characters like Clark Thompson who are dominant in the plot yet emotionally absent (sleepwalkers), Arthur Leander (when his non acting role of being himself becomes a part that he plays to an audience).

3) We have characters who are physically present but who are inconspicuous and thus invisible (minor characters).

4) We have characters who are present and very visible because they are being hunted, yet they may not be central characters.

The blog I choose for Parts 4, 5, and 6 is Hamilton’s. Considering there are so many other pieces of evidence in which he could have chosen, he brought up a quote that I also used in which I think is interesting with regards to one of the main pieces of evidence that reveal the overall point of the novel. For example, Hamilton quotes “It was incredible. I almost want to lock the door behind us.” showing that within this moment Kirsten has the motive to partake in the little things in life such as locking the door behind her.

The blog I chose for this week is Nickolas. He made you look deeper into the symphony. The members that are missing like Sayid, Dieter, and the clarinet. Also he makes you think if the symphony will stay together or break apart.

I liked very much liked Stevens Jean blog and his interpretation of Memories. I agreed with him that Memories very much are important to a person and can very much shape them to be who they are now or in the future. Memories that are positive or negative can server to be a learning point for oneself or others in the surrounding environment. You don’t have to resent any of it but think of it and how you can shape your future towards the positive ends of things. The way Stevens writes about it here is very good and expresses it on all ends of what someone might think about good or bad memories.

I chose this post because i just simply agree, we hold very little importance to the things we use in our everyday lives. Once it is stripped from us we see how much harder things can be and that is very apparent post goergia flu where people have such a hard time trying to live in a world stripped from the electronics and other technological achievements.

My vote goes to Kainat’s post, The More You Remember, The More You’ve Lost. I chose to vote for her post because of several reasons, the first being the fact that most of the statements or assumptions that she makes are similar to mine as I was reading the novel. The second main reason is because she uses quotes that support her statements, she doesn’t just jump from one statement to another. Lastly, she includes small details in the development of her post, small details that when put together are crucial in the understanding of the novel.

I chose Calvin’s Post because the ending of his post he talks about after achieving fame it really doesn’t help Arthur much in his search for whatever it is that we as humans search for. In the book, Arthur remains lonely and its something everyone to their core might fear if we begin to analyze the text to its core.

I enjoyed Hamilton’s blog. I love how he made a connection of how we always lock our doors when we leave our homes everyday was made when Kirsten had this thought as well, “It was incredible. I almost want to lock the door behind us.” This was the first time in many years that she ever wanted to do so. When she was in the house it reminded her how life was like before the flu. Experiences like these encourages them to continue living to find places or things that remind them of the old world.

I liked Adrian’s post. the part that got me had to be the very last paragraph which talk s about Frank (Jeevan’s paraplegic brother) and his very hard decision to let let his brother go to survive on his own. The fact that Frank would end his own life just so Jeevan wouldn’t have much of a reason to stay had to be one of the most depressing moments in the story. Brotherly love is one thing but going out of your way to commit (in my opinion) the ultimate sacrifice Is something that i can somewhat understand and commend. I can’t say that Frank him killing himself was the best course of action but, i can completely respect such an important and noble decision.

This week I am choosing Stevens post. I like how he emphasizes on memories and why they are important. What you have gone through determines how you are as a person. Your experiences shape you. Of course, you do not need to go telling the entire world about what has happened to you. But suppressing those memories/experiences will not help your cause either. Nor will that make what happen go away.

As I read through the class blogs, we all touched on very similar essential points in parts 4-6, including the one I am about to discuss. I’ll also add that many of the blogs chosen for People’s Choice are usually the ones posted the latest, or the one’s chosen by others in previous comments as people don’t like to read every single blog, which isn’t very fair for the people who posted blogs earlier. But, we can only chose one…
Kainat did a great job at providing her insight to the key points of the reading, specifically when recollecting on Kirsten’s realization that the more memories people retained from the previous world, the harder it was for them to let go. These memories are embedded into what was once their reality, so to completely shift to a world post such a horrific apocalypse is extremely difficult. This is also why many of the older survivors are hesitant toward teaching the younger ones born after the pandemic about the older world. So many complex things like planes, electricity… things that would only confuse the mind of one who never got to experience it. Kainat’s title also fits perfectly with Kirsten’s point: “The more you remember, the more you’ve lost”.“She goes on to say that ‘doesn’t it seem like the people who struggle most with it are the people who remember the old world clearly?’ (195) Basically saying that the ones who were young when the pandemic hit do not realize how much they have actually lost. If anything, the world before seems almost like a dream to them. Not being able to differentiate between reality and their imagination. They adjusted to the world now. Whereas, the ones that do remember are constantly stuck in their thoughts. Thinking of how once this street was full of children. There was internet. There was electricity. There was discipline, law and not as much fear as there is now in this version of the world”, (Kainat Par 1).Link to Kainat’s blog:https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/belli-f2017-eng2001/the-more-you-remember-the-more-youve-lost/

I chose Kainat’s response for this week. Reason why i chose to do so is because besides of finding it a little more interesting than the rest, she also talked about a certain subject that people get into arguments for, technology.
It reminds me of our group discussion, whether life was better before or after the collapse. The ones that were little kids once have grown up to be a few of the strongest. While the older are longing for that life, Missing their conformity. “There was discipline, law and not as much fear as a there is now in this version of the world.”(Ali 3) I think it’s sad that everything you knew at some point does not even exist anymore. These kids that have grown up, don’t even know if the past they remember is made up or actual things. They were only just so young.

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The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.

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The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

The OpenLab is an open-source, digital platform designed to support teaching and learning at City Tech (New York City College of Technology), and to promote student and faculty engagement in the intellectual and social life of the college community.